The saga captured Ecko's attention from the get-go, and completely captivated the imagination of an entire generation of upcoming artists, filmmakers, fashion designers and future iconoclasts. "The films hold up," Ecko says. "They are timeless. For me, I believe people are able to connect so deeply because at its core, Star Wars is more fantasy than science fiction. There aren't the golden handcuffs of science fiction that often tends to over-intellectualize the simplicity and elegance of a narrative. It is a simple story that is transferable in real life. And George Lucas being so ambitious -- and wanting to change the laws of cinematic physics -- may have something to do with it enduring so long. He made a lifestyle brand, not a movie."
Ecko knows what it takes to create a lifestyle brand from the ground up. Raised in New Jersey, Ecko started selling his original T-shirt designs at a young age and eventually founded his clothing brand *ecko unltd. in 1993. Marc Ecko Enterprises has grown to include: *ecko unltd. men's and Red by Marc Ecko juniors apparel, Marc Ecko "Cut & Sew" (a contemporary menswear line); G-Unit clothing and accessories (a joint venture with multi-platinum musician, 50 Cent); Zoo York (a line of action sports-inspired clothing and accessories); and Avirex.
Fans may be clamoring for Ecko's next clothing line scheduled to debut this holiday season, which pays tribute to the Star Wars saga and its characters. "We are trying to make every piece collectable but at the same time wearable," Ecko says. "I don't intend to be heavy handed. We want to sublimate all the trends of street culture onto the Star Wars brand and vice-versa. This won't look like anything you've seen before. It definitely won't be costume. My aesthetic focus is to make everything reflect a sense of early '80s nostalgia but with contemporary street smarts. POPSTALGIA, baby!"
The Company also publishes Complex magazine, a men's consumer magazine. There's also Marc Ecko Entertainment -- a full-service production company, with a focus on interactive entertainment which includes his first video game property Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.
Glance down a random alley of any major city, and you could be rewarded with a glimpse of temporary tributes to Darth Vader or R2-D2 dripping with spray paint and admiration from the likes of underground icons such as Bansky and Kaws. Ecko has his own theories why the iconography of Star Wars makes its way into the DIY urban art aesthetic. "The narrative is rich with good vs. evil," Ecko explains. "The aesthetic so perfectly reflects that. Darth and the troopers, and the Death Star are perfectly evil, but with the sex appeal and rock 'n roll gangster attitude of Jimi Hendrix or Sid Vicious; whereas Luke and his pursuit of the Force are good. Those are the powers young people really wish they had -- powers that would free them from their youthful rage, their angst. A power so great, that it can't be explained or understood in a sentence or a still image."
"I think street artists have sort of appropriated it and given it their own political back-story which makes relating to Star Wars more than just the love for nostalgia and a great story," Ecko continues. "Somehow the world of Star Wars is a state of mind. It is a philosophy. And there is no other piece of pop culture or cinematic content in the last 30 years that is more emblematic of our generation. What the Beatles were to my dad, Star Wars is for me and my generation."
While many sci-fi and fantasy films have served as inspiration for artistic mavericks, Ecko believes no other movie can compare with Star Wars as a muse. "For me, your eyes don't lie," Ecko says. "If it is great cinema, great art, great music, it will inspire a bonfire of creativity. I don't know that it is as simple as 'sci-fi and fantasy films like Star Wars' that can muse. There are plenty of films like it but there is only ONE Star Wars. Great art inspires the viewer. Ask George Lucas about Kurosawa. Dylan about Woodie Guthrie. Warhol about Coca-Cola. The 'muse' is in perfection."
"Star Wars -- and the notion of fantasy -- helps me expand my reality," Ecko continues. "Every few years in your life, you are tasked to stretch the boundaries of your comfort zone. There are two reactions to that challenge -- pass or fail. Star Wars and the dreams of that world teach you to take the leap and let those boundaries stretch because the adventure and the awkwardness of facing that crossroad is what life is all about."
Ecko wouldn't be a true fan unless he contemplated once and awhile which characters mirror his own personality and fashion sense. "Philosophically, I identify with Yoda," Ecko says. "He's fair. He plays it cards up. He is unsuspecting. For him if it is right, and it makes sense, then it should be. Aesthetically, I identify most with Boba Fett. He puts Al Capone's swagger to shame."
And while Ecko has been a diehard fan from the beginning, he believes that his fondest Star Wars memory may have formed much more recently when he visited the Lucasfilm offices and met the Maker in person. "My best Star Wars moment is when George Lucas posed for a photo with my 12" unauthorized Japanese action figure of himself," Ecko smiles. "I'm no celebrity stalker, but I do get all giddy at the notion of meeting George and working on something that selfishly I have been mused by since I was eight years old. George Lucas rocks! He is our Walt Disney. For my generation, and for anyone who really dreams about making the cultural imprint, he's the guy. I go to work everyday reminding myself how much more I gotta do to put a dent in it.
For more information about Ecko, visit his official site Marc Ecko Enterprises.
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